The worst-kept secret among NBA award recipients will be formally revealed Sunday when Miami Heat star LeBron James is named Most Valuable Player for the fourth time, league sources confirmed Friday.

This is King James’ fourth MVP award in the past five years and his second consecutive honor. While Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant all had amazing seasons, none came close to attaining the level of excellence the Miami Heat superstar sustained. It showed in the voting, where James earned 120 of 121 first place votes, per the NBA's official release.

Anthony, who finished third overall in the voting, accounted for the only other first place vote. Durant finished second, while Paul and Bryant were fourth and fifth, respectively.

LeBron put together one of the finest performances of his career, averaging 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocks over 76 games. He shot an incredibly efficient 56.5 percent from the field and 40.6 from beyond the arc—both new career highs.

James has evolved into one of the best defenders in the NBA.

James’ efforts on defense certainly contributed to his valuation as the best player in the game today. He finished second behind Marc Gasol in balloting for the Defensive Player of the Year Award, garnering 14 first-place votes from the members of the media and analysts that vote.

He clearly wasn’t happy about this result (via Michael Wallace of ESPN.com), saying, "It sucks. It definitely sucks, though, finishing second. Who wants to finish second?"

Regardless, James should be satisfied by beating out the rest of the league for this MVP award and positioning the Heat for another championship run.

What truly separated James from the rest of the pack was the fact that he led the Heat to a franchise-record 66 wins, including 37 at home—another top mark in the organization’s history.

LBJ helped Miami to the No. 1 overall seed in the 2012-13 postseason and secured home-court advantage through the NBA Finals. His team met with the No. 8 Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs and quickly dispatched them in a four-game sweep.

Did James deserve this MVP award?

Yes, unanimouslyYes, but it was a close raceNo, another player should have wonSubmit Votevote to see results

Did James deserve this MVP award?

Yes, unanimously

83.1%

Yes, but it was a close race

8.1%

No, another player should have won

8.8%

Total votes: 34,930

With a second-round series looming against the Brooklyn Nets or Chicago Bulls, the Heat can rest assured that they have the best player in the league on their side. The MVP honor should only add to James’ hunger to capture another ring this coming June.

Because LeBron has constantly improved his already world-class game, there should be much more hardware in the 28-year-old’s future—including another potential NBA Finals trophy and NBA Finals MVP honor in 2013.